Costs & planning · 2 min read
Caregiver or Home Nurse? How Kenyan Families Can Choose
Many families search for a 'home nurse' when what their loved one needs is a caregiver — or both. Here's how to tell the difference and choose safely.
Published
When a parent comes home from hospital or starts to need more help, most families in Kenya search for a "home nurse". Often, what they actually need day to day is a caregiver — and sometimes both. Knowing the difference helps you get the right help, stay within the law, and spend wisely.
What a registered nurse does
In Kenya, nursing is a regulated profession. Registered and enrolled nurses are trained in clinical care and licensed by the Nursing Council of Kenya. At home, a nurse can do things like give injections, manage drips and oxygen, dress wounds, care for catheters and feeding tubes, and assess changes in a patient's condition.
What a caregiver does
A caregiver provides the everyday, non-medical support that helps someone live comfortably at home: bathing, dressing and toileting; help with walking and preventing falls; meals and feeding; reminders to take prescribed medicine; companionship; and going with them to appointments. Good caregivers also notice changes and tell the family early.
Which one do you need?
A caregiver is usually right when…
- Your loved one is medically stable
- They need help with daily living, company or supervision
- You need cover for long hours, nights or while you travel
Involve a nurse or doctor when…
- There's a wound that needs dressing, or stitches or drains
- They need injections, a drip, oxygen, a catheter or a feeding tube
- Their condition is changing quickly or needs clinical monitoring
The best of both
For many families the best set-up is a nurse who visits for specific clinical tasks, and a caregiver for everything in between. It's safer, and usually more affordable than paying a nurse for long hours.
Checking who you hire
Whoever you hire, ask to see original certificates, ask what they will and won't do, get references, and agree everything in writing. If someone says they're a nurse, you can ask for their Nursing Council of Kenya registration details. A good caregiver will be upfront that they're not a nurse.
This guide is general information from a home caregiver, not medical advice. Always follow the advice of your loved one's doctor or nurse. In an emergency call 999 or 112.
